Family says 8-year-old kicked out of Boy Scouts because he’s transgender

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Family says 8-year-old kicked out of Boy Scouts because he’s transgender

SECAUCUS, N.J. — The family of an 8-year-old boy says he was kicked out of Boy Scouts because he is transgender.

Born a female, Jody, now Joe, is transgender.

Joe’s mom, Kristie Maldonado, signed him for Cub Scouts in Secaucus, New Jersey, making it very clear that he is transgender.

After about a month, she said she got a call from the Boy Scouts’ head counsel, saying he could no longer be part of the organization.

“We were doing science experiments and you know cool stuff like that,” Joe said about his time in Boy Scouts.

“I felt bad for my son he was having a good time,” Kristie Maldonado said. “They had a barbecue, the last day they had a Halloween party, they did experiments…he really enjoyed it, and he was with all of his friends.”

The Boy Scouts of America endured years of controversy before ultimately lifting bans on gay scouts and leaders in recent years.

But a spokeswoman says the organization considers transgender children a separate issue.

The national Girl Scouts organization, which is not affiliated with the Boy Scouts, has accepted transgender children for years.